Docking apparatus

ABSTRACT

A docking assembly (200) for docking with a vehicle (108), the vehicle having a nonrigid docking member (70) having an apparatus for positioning (124, 126, 128, 130, 132) mounted thereon. The docking assembly has a frame (202) to which is mounted a positioning slot (222) having flared walls (224) for guiding therein and securing thereto the apparatus for positioning of the vehicle to thereby dock the vehicle to the docking assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 040,947, filed 31 Mar. 1993, entitled "Apparatus And Method ForTransferring A Load" and now abandoned.

1. Field of Invention

The present invention concerns an apparatus for docking with aload-conveying vehicle. In particular, the invention concerns suchapparatus for guiding in and securing thereto the vehicle for carryingout load transfers to or from the vehicle. The invention is particularlysuited for use with an automatic guided load-conveying vehicle.

2. Background of the Invention

Most industrial applications and manufacturing facilities involve asubstantial amount of material conveying and handling. Accordingly, mucheffort has been devoted to providing efficient and economical means toperform these operations.

One response has been the development of robotic or automatic guidedvehicles that are capable of picking up a load from one station,carrying it along a predefined path, and depositing the load at a secondstation. Generally, such jobs allow for a substantial amount of error inthe course of the docking maneuvers, that is, the unloading and loadingmaneuvers, and such an apparatus, although suitable for a forklift-typeoperation, may be unsuitable for operations requiring close placementand positioning during dockings. In the latter situations, generally anoperator is required to ensure the proper proximity between theload-handling equipment and the stations.

It is desirable, however, in many applications to proceed without anoperator's having to be present at all times. One such instance is inthe handling of rolls of sensitized photographic film rolls. As iswell-known, such operations have to proceed in a dark environment inorder to avoid exposing the sensitized film. Roll-handling thereforetakes place in the dark, where it is difficult for an operator to viewand monitor the operation. As a result, during roll transfer andhandling, equipment misalignments can occur, resulting in damagedequipment or damaged product.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus fortransferring loads to and from a load-conveying vehicle withoutrequiring an operator present, and which provides good tolerances duringa docking operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of theproblems set forth above.

Briefly summarized, the invention provides a docking assembly fordocking with a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a nonrigid docking memberhaving means for positioning mounted thereon, the docking assemblycomprising:

a frame; and

a positioning slot mounted on the frame and having flared walls forguiding therein and securing thereto the means for positioning of thesecond assembly to thereby dock the second assembly to the dockingassembly.

The invention performs load transfers without the presence of anoperator. The transfers are complete within close tolerances difficultto obtain by prior art devices and methods during vehicle dockingoperations.

These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more clearly understood and appreciated from a reviewof the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments andappended claims, and by reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective elevation view of an automatic guided vehiclepositioned as in a docking operation, with each side of the vehicleadjacent to a docking assembly with one assembly shown fragmented,according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side, partially fragmentary, elevation view of thevehicle of FIG. 1, exposing details of the drive assembly and otherstructure.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional elevation view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1,showing the upper tray and associated structures with the tray in thefully lowered position.

FIG. 4 shows a top plan view of the lower lift mounting structureaccording to the invention.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged, perspective elevation view of the lower liftassembly according to the invention.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged, perspective elevation view of the upper liftassembly according to the invention.

FIG. 7 shows the structure of FIG. 3, but with the tray in a raisedposition, and with a portion of the tray structure in the fully loweredposition shown in phantom.

FIG. 8 shows a front elevation view of the tray, illustrating a tiltingof the tray on its seat about the center ball joint.

FIG. 9 shows a top plan view of the cradle assembly according to theinvention.

FIG. 10 shows a sectional elevation view taken along line 10--10 of FIG.1 of a cradle assembly and a docking assembly during a docking operationaccording to the invention.

FIG. 11 shows a perspective elevation view of a docking assemblyaccording to the invention.

FIG. 12 shows an enlarged, sectional view of part of a positioningleveling assembly according to the invention.

FIG. 13 shows a sectional elevation view of a cradle arm and a spindleassembly on a frame in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 14 shows a side, elevation view of a docking assembly in accordancewith the invention mounted on a turret winder, with a docking assemblyand a roll shown in phantom to illustrate two-roll handling.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following is a detailed description of the preferred embodiments ofthe invention, reference being made to the drawings in which the samereference numerals identify the same elements of structure in each ofthe several Figures. In the Figures, the orientation of the variousstructures is specified with respect to a selected arbitrary orientationof the automatic guided vehicle designated as "Front" and "Rear". Thisis only to facilitate understanding the relative positioning of thevarious structures, shown separately in the several Figures, in thevehicle, and is not meant to indicate a preferred mode or direction oftravel of the vehicle.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective elevation view and a side elevationview, respectively, of an automatic guided vehicle 10 in accordance withthe present invention. Vehicle 10 comprises a frame 12, shown partiallyin phantom in FIG. 2, on which is mounted a cowl 14 and a cowl cover 16.A pair of drive wheel assemblies 18 are mounted on frame 12 along thecenter axis 20 of vehicle 10 and just inboard of each sidewall 22. Aswivel caster wheel assembly 24 is mounted at each end of vehicle 10 onframe 12 inboard of and midway between side walls 22. Each drive wheelassembly 18 is independently associated with drive means (not shown)comprising a reversible, variable speed motor, which, by matching up orvarying the relative speeds of assemblies 18, respectively drive vehicle10 either forward or backward, or cause vehicle 10 to traverse a turn orfollow a nonlinear path. A rechargeable battery 26 is electricallyconnected to each drive means. Charging means (not shown) are providedto recharge batteries 26. The front and the rear of vehicle 10 are eachequipped with an exhaust grille 28 associated with an air-cleaningsystem that will be described in more detail later.

Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 3-6, lower lift mounting structure 30comprises a rectangular frame 31 that is mounted to frame 12 in ahorizontal plane by four mounting brackets 32. Lower lift structure 30has a roll plate 34 on its upper surface at each corner for supporting alower lift assembly 36 of FIG. 5 by ball transfer members 38. A verticallift assembly 40 of FIG. 5 is mounted by bracket 41 to frame 42 of lowerlift assembly 36 and comprises an electronic actuator 43 and an actuatorrod 44. Crank arm 46, pivotally attached to rod 44, has a cam follower48 rigidly mounted on one side and a pivot rod 50 rigidly mounted tocrank arm 46 and rotatably mounted to frame 42. Another cam follower 52is rigidly mounted on pivot rod 50 in the same horizontal plane as camfollower 48. An upper lift assembly 54 of FIGS. 3, 6, and 7 comprises arectangular frame 56 on which are mounted downwardly extending andfacing support plates 58, only one of which appears in FIG. 6, thatrespectively seat on cam followers 48 and 52. Upper lift assembly 54thus is supported in this manner by lower lift assembly 36.

A vertical ball slide 59 is mounted outboard on each side of frame 56 byvertical supports 60, and each ball slide 59 is positioned in a verticalguide 61 mounted inboard on each side support member of frame 42 oflower lift assembly 36. A ball support member 62, having four ballbearings 64 mounted equidistant in a horizontal plane along a minorcircumference of ball support member 62 and each ball bearing 64 havingan exposed upper bearing surface 65, is mounted at the center of frame56. A leveling spring 66 having an upper support surface 68 ispositioned at each of the four corners of frame 56 for supporting anupper tray assembly 70 while permitting a limited amount of verticalmovement against each spring 66.

Upper tray assembly 70 is the means for loading, carrying, and unloadinga load, in cooperation with the other structure discussed herein. On theunderside of tray 70 is concave seat 72 by which tray 70 seats onbearing surfaces 65. Upper lift assembly 54 has an adjustablerotation-centering spring 74 horizontally mounted on frame 56 inboard ofeach leveling spring 66, each spring 74 having a surface 76 forcontacting frame 78 of tray 70 and in order to restrain tray 70 withinan acceptable design limit of horizontal movement. Tray 70, when in araised position as is further discussed below, therefore is nonrigidlysupported by frame 12 via assembly 31, assembly 36, and frame 54 and hassome freedom to tilt about ball support member 62 and to movehorizontally. Thus, tray 70 is mounted for movement with three degreesof freedom relative to frame 12 of vehicle 10.

It can be seen that, although tray 70 therefore has limited freedom ofoff-vertical movement with respect to upper lift assembly 54, verticalball slide member 59 and vertical guide member 60 cooperate tosubstantially restrict upper lift assembly 54's off-vertical movementrelative to lower lift assembly 36. To introduce a further degree offreedom of off-vertical movement for the top assemblies of vehicle 10relative to lower lift structure 30 and frame 12, a pair of opposed,horizontally-mounted positioning springs 79 are mounted on the inboardvertical surface of each horizontal frame member 80 of frame 31. Eachspring 79 has a surface 82 for contacting the respective outboardvertical surfaces of frame members 84 and 86 of frame 42 of lower liftassembly 36. Similarly, a pair of opposed positioning springs 88 and 90are horizontally mounted outboard on each frame member 92 and 94 offrame 42, each spring having a surface 96 for contacting the respectiveoutboard vertical surfaces of frame members 80 of frame 31. Positioningsprings 79, 88, and 90 thereby permit lower lift assembly 36 limitedoff-vertical movement with respect to lower lift mounting structure 30.

The support for tray 70 and the off-vertical freedom of movement of tray70 vary, depending on whether tray 70 is in a raised position or in afully lowered position, as follows. Tray 70 has fourdownwardly-extending centering pins 101, one each mounted on theunderside of frame 78 at each corner. Each pin 101 has a sphericalseating surface 102 and a depending leg 104. As seen in FIG. 4, lowerlift mounting structure 30 comprises parallel frame members 98, 100joined to parallel frame members 80. Structure 30 also has a concaveannular seat 106 on each upper surface of each corner of frame 31 forreceiving, positioning, and seating each surface 102 thereon. When upperlift assembly 54 and tray 70 are fully lowered, support for tray 70 istransferred from upper lift assembly 54 to lower lift mounting structure30, as each surface 102 is seated in each seat 106 as shown in FIG. 3,and tray 70 is rigidly supported and without the limited freedom ofmovement it has when raised and pins 101 are unseated. FIG. 7 showsupper lift assembly 54 and tray 70 in a raised position, in whichsurfaces 102 are raised from seats 106, permitting off-vertical movementof tray 70 as allowed by the clearance between each leg 104 and seat 106and the other restraining means described above. FIG. 8 schematicallyshows tray 70 in a tilted position.

Now turning to FIGS. 1-3 and 9, a cradle arm assembly 108 is slidablymounted on the upper surface of tray 70. Assembly 108 comprises a pairof cradle arms 110 comprising a slidable horizontal member 112 having acam follower 114 positioned in a slotted cam plate 116 and a verticalarm 117 having a concave seat 118 for supporting each end of an objectsuch as a large film roll. Plate 116 is slidably mounted on horizontalguide 119. Plate 116 is moved along guide 119 by an electronic actuatorassembly 120 having an actuator rod 122 that is attached to plate 116.Cradle arms 110 move toward each other as rod 122 extends and separateas rod 122 retracts. Positioned on tray 70 outboard of each cradle arm110 are brackets 124, each having mounted thereon a pair of positionsensors 126 and 128 and a pair of positioning pins 130 and 132 thattogether comprise means for positioning the means for loading, carrying,and unloading in docking relationship to a loading and unloadingstation.

As shown in FIG. 10, position sensor 126 has shaft collar 134 for makingand breaking electrical contact with pin engagement sensor 136. Positionsensor 128 has shaft collar 138 for making and breaking electricalcontact with load interface sensor 140, and shaft collar 142 for makingand breaking electrical contact with vertical overtravel sensor 144.Each position sensor 126 and 128 is slidably mounted in a bushing 146positioned in bracket 124 and has an upper flange 148. A spring 150 ispositioned in bushing 146 to engage upper flange 148. Positioningsensors 126 and 128 each have a retaining collar 152 that restrictsupward travel while allowing downward movement against spring 150.

FIGS. 10-12 show docking assembly 200. Assembly 200 comprises a frame202 to which are mounted a pair of vertical guides 204. Bracket 206 isrigidly mounted on frame 202 between guides 204 and has five positioningleveling assemblies 208 mounted thereon. Each positioning levelingassembly 208 comprises a throughbolt 210 slidably mounted within abushing 212 that is positioned in bracket 206. Throughbolt 210 has aretaining nut 214 that secures throughbolt 210 to bracket 206. A spring216 is snugly positioned on bolt 210 and compressibly fitted betweenhead 218 and the lower surface of bracket 206 to provide a biasing forceagainst head 218 and provide resistance to upward movement ofthroughbolt 210. Spacing washers 219 allow for vertical adjustment ofthroughbolt 210. A bracket 220 is slidably mounted on guides 204 and hasa pair of downward-facing slots 222 mounted thereon. Each slot 222 hasflared walls 224 for guiding therein and securing a positioning pin 130or 132. A bracket 226, rigidly mounted at its proximate end 228 to plate202, has a distal end 230 on which is mounted a bracket 232. A pair ofvertical position actuators 234 are mounted on and depend from bracket232. Position leveling assemblies 208 are mounted so that heads 218 arepositioned just above bracket 220.

In operation, the movement of vehicle 10 is controlled by commandsignals, which can be directed at antenna 233 of vehicle 10 remotely byradiofrequency transmission and received by a receiver positioned onvehicle 10 that is associated with an on-board controller (not shown)that operates independent drive wheel assemblies 18, thus directingvehicle 10's movement as is well-known in the art. The command signalscan be sent manually as by an operator, or in a preferred modeautomatically, as by a programmed sequence that is controlled by acomputer, such as a process logic controller or the like (not shown).Vehicle 10 can thereby be directed between a pair of stationary dockingassemblies 200, one positioned at either side of vehicle 10, whereby thefront and rear of vehicle 10 are spaced a predetermined distance fromeach docking assembly 200.

A roll transfer operation transferring a roll from vehicle 10 to a rollholding station is as follows. Each cradle arm 110 of vehicle 10 isinitially supporting one end of core 300 of roll 302, as illustrated inFIG. 1. The controller directs vehicle 10 into docking position betweenthe pair of docking assemblies 200, as discussed above, and then signalsactuator 43 to retract, pivoting arm 46 about pivot rod 50 and causingcam followers 48 and 52 to traverse an ascending arc and raise upperlift assembly 54 by support plates 58. Upper lift assembly 54 raisestray 70 by leveling springs 66 and ball support member 62 until eachposition sensor 126 contacts its respective vertical position actuator234 and moves collar 134 from contact with its pin engagement sensor136, signaling the controller that outboard positioning pins 130, 132are properly positioned for docking with positioning slots 222. Slots222 are tapered so as to direct and center pins 130 as tray 70 is raisedand thus ensure that tray 70 and cradle arms 110 are oriented properlyfor docking and roll transfer. As surfaces 102 lift off of seats 106,tray 70 is free to move about its axes as described above. Accordingly,if cradle arms 110 are somewhat out of alignment relative to assemblies200, slots 222 guide pins 130 and thereby tray 70 into precise dockingalignment with assemblies 200. Should actuator 134 fail to break contactwith sensor 136, a limit switch (not shown) signals the controller tointerrupt the lifting sequence. As tray 70 continues to rise, loadinterface sensor 140 breaks contact with collar 138, signalling thatpins 130, 132 are docked in slots 222. When this position is thus sensedfor each cradle arm 110, that is, for each side of tray 70 when eachcradle arm 110 is docked with its respective docking assembly 200, thecontroller interrupts actuator 43 to stop retracting and engage a brake(not shown). During docking, each cradle arm 110 may not makesimultaneous docking contact with the respective docking assembly 200,so as described, tray 70 is free to move in all directions to compensatefor such misalignments. Also, bracket 220 is slidably mounted on dockingassembly 200, and leveling assemblies 208 are spring-loaded to permitsome overtravel in leveling each cradle arm 110 relative to each dockingassembly 200 and further compensate for non-simultaneous docking due tomisalignments. Thus, should pins 130 and/or 132 be forced against slots222, bracket 220 is free to slide on vertical guides 204 until the uppersurface of bracket 220 contacts positioning leveling assemblies 208,which can resist further upward movement of pins 130/132 by means ofsprings 216.

In this manner, upon docking, each cradle arm 110 is positioned adjacentto and brought into axial alignment with a retractable spindle assembly400, illustrated in FIG. 13. Assembly 400 has a spindle 402 and ismounted onto a frame 404, which can comprise any one of a number oftypes of roll transfer of stations, such as a roll-handling or roll prepstation, a roll winder, a roll unwinder, or associated turret assemblyas is well-known in the art, to name but a few. A photocell 406 ispositioned on frame 402 to direct a light beam against a reflector 154on cradle arm 110 to provide an indication that the position of vehicle10 is such that each cradle arm 110 is in the desired proximity to eachrespective spindle assembly 400. Cradle arm 110 also has a plungerassembly 156 having a biasing spring 158 that lowers a contact plate 160against a load sensor 162 when a core is properly positioned onto seat118. Roll stops 164 are provided on either side of cradle arms 110extending along the top surface of vehicle 10 to provide furtherrestraint and support for roll 302. In response to a signal from thecontroller, each spindle assembly 400 extends and engages spindle 402with an end of core 300 to provide support for roll 302 at each end. Thecontroller then signals actuator 43 to lower tray 70 sufficiently todisengage core 300 from cradle seats 118, leave roll 302 supported byspindles 402, and provide clearance between the top of each cradle arm110 and the lower surface of respective spindle assemblies 400. Actuator120 then retracts rod 122, causing cradle arms 110 to separate andprovide sufficient clearance between cradle arms 110 and roll 302 forvehicle 10 to pull out of the roll transfer station.

Similarly, roll transfer operations from a roll handling station tovehicle 10 are carried out in the same fashion but in the reverse order.

FIG. 14 illustrates a roll-handling apparatus in accordance with theinvention. Rotatable turret 500 has an assembly 200 mounted on each sidethereof, one side being shown in FIG. 14. One end of a roll 302 istransferred from vehicle 10 to assembly 200. As discussed above, asecond turret (not shown) is also provided for transfer of the other endof roll 302 to a second assembly 200. Once vehicle 10 is positioned asdesired and so as not to interfere with the roll-handling operation,turret 500 (and its opposite counterpart) can rotate to position roll302 as desired for any of various roll-handling operations, such aswinding, unwinding, or roll-prep, to name but a few. If desired, two ormore assemblies 200 can be positioned on each turret 500, such aspositioning one assembly 200 opposite a second assembly 200, in order tohandle two roll cores simultaneously. In this manner, new or empty rollcores can be loaded or unloaded as desired, and a vehicle 10 used toload or unload as needed for each particular operation desired.

Vehicle 10 is also equipped with an air-cleaning system comprising, ateach end, a centrifugal blower 166, shown in phantom in FIG. 2, havingan outlet duct 168 directed into a HEPA air filter assembly 170 coveredby the previously described grille 28. The inlet 172 on each side ofeach blower 166 is open to spaces inside vehicle 10 via which air isdrawn from the underside of vehicle 10. Cowl cover 16 is sealed ontocowl 14 to obtain a substantially air-tight construction while leaving agap between the bottom of cowl 14 and the floor to allow air to be drawntherefrom. Vehicle 10 therefore functions as it operates within andtravels about its environs to help maintain a clean operatingenvironment and remove airborne particulate contamination, an importantadvantage in environments such as film roll coating and handlingfacilities.

To aid in maintaining a clean environment in the immediate vicinity ofroll 302, there is provided air cleaning and delivery means positionedoverhead of vehicle 10 for directing a stream of filtered air over theload as shown by the direction arrows in FIG. 1, comprising a bank ofoverhead panels 174, each having a HEPA filter 176 mounted therein, andhaving a top inlet 178 ducted to the outlet of an air delivery assembly180, by which air is directed into inlet 178 over filter 176 anddownward onto roll 302. Roll 302 is thereby shrouded with filtered airas it is conveyed about by vehicle 10, helping to minimize acquisitionof particulate contamination by roll 302, an important consideration inclean-room types of facilities or in other operations requiring cleanload transporting, such as in photographic film manufacturingoperations.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to apreferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements of the preferred embodiment without departing from invention.In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particularsituation and material to a teaching of the invention without departingfrom the essential teachings of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A docking assembly for docking with a vehicle,the vehicle comprising a frame, a docking member mounted for movementwith three degrees of freedom relative to the frame, a vertical positionsensor mounted on the docking member and positioning means mounted onthe docking member, the docking assembly comprising:a further frame; avertical position actuator mounted on the further frame for contactingthe vertical position sensor to thereby indicate that the dockingassembly is positioned properly relative to the vehicle carry out adocking maneuver; a pair of vertical guides mounted on the furtherframe; a bracket slidably mounted on the vertical guides; a positioningslot mounted on the bracket, the positioning slot having flared wallsfor guiding therein and securing thereto the positioning means of thedocking member to the relay clock the docking member to the dockingassembly; and a position leveling assembly mounted on the further framefor acting against the bracket when the bracket moves in response toengagement between the positioning means and the positioning slot. 2.The docking assembly of claim 1, further comprising a turret assembly ina roll-handling apparatus, the further frame bring supported by theturret assembly.
 3. The docking assembly of claim 2, wherein the vehiclecomprises a further vertical position sensor and a further positioningmeans, the turret assembly comprises first and second turrets, and thefurther frame is mounted on the first turret, further comprising:a stillfurther frame mounted on the second turret; a further vertical positionactuator mounted on the still further frame for contacting the furthervertical position sensor; a further pair of vertical guides mounted onthe still further frame; a further bracket slidably mounted on thefurther pair of vertical guides; a further positioning slot mounted onthe further bracket, the further positioning slot having flared wallsfor guiding therein and securing thereto the further positioning meansof the docking member; and a further position leveling assembly mountedon the still further frame for acting against the further bracket whenthe further bracket moves in response to engagement between the furtherpositioning means and the further positioning slot.